What is the diaphragm? You often hear it associated with breathing and singing; Whether you’re doing one or the other, the correct way to do it is from the diaphragm. If you’ve been pregnant before, you’ve probably been told that your shortness of breath is caused by the bulge of your belly pressing against your diaphragm. You can safely assume it’s a body part located somewhere along your tummy, but what exactly is it?

The diaphragm is a sheet of muscle that lies below the lungs. When at rest and not contracting, it forms a dome and divides the thorax from the abdomen. When it contracts as it does when you breathe, it descends and the dome flattens toward the abdomen, pushing down on the bases of the lungs and opening the alveoli for air. The diaphragm is an integral part of correct breathing because it comprises the bases of the lungs that receive the greatest flow of blood. The thing about good tissue oxygenation is that it requires oxygen from the air you breathe to diffuse into the blood vessels that run through your lungs. Doing diaphragmatic breathing means making sure that a good air supply is matched by a good blood supply.

As your diaphragm descends, it presses against your abdominal organs, which are mostly filled with fluid. Since the fluid cannot be compressed, the abdomen has to shift somewhere to make room for the diaphragm. This is why the stomach walls move outward when you inhale while doing diaphragmatic breathing, which is understandably also known as abdominal or belly breathing.

Exhaling, on the other hand, is a relaxing movement, allowing the diaphragm to return to its domed position at rest. It calms you down and releases stress, hence the feeling of relief in a breath. Diaphragmatic breathing is the correct way to breathe. To check if you’re doing this, see if your stomach rises as you inhale and relaxes as you exhale. When the opposite happens, what you are doing is paradoxical breathing.

When you breathe paradoxically, the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and ribs have to work harder to hold your breath. While diaphragmatic breathing feels effortless, paradoxical breathing makes you tired and your chest hurts.

If you discover that you are a paradoxical breather, you may need professional help to retrain your diaphragm. This is especially important for people with asthma, as learning to breathe correctly can go a long way in managing your condition. Physiotherapists often help asthma patients with breathing exercises that involve prone breathing, allowing them to relax and overcome an attack naturally.

Your body is designed to breathe diaphragmatically, so whether you have asthma or not, you might want to start practicing it for better health.